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Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Link to The FlipKey Blog - Vacation Rental Market News, Travel Tips, and Big Ideas

Posted: 20 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

by Dana Giusti

You’ve just returned home after spending a wonderful time at someone else’s vacation rental. You want to express your gratitude, but you’re unsure of how to best articulate it. What to do?

It's always a great idea to send a thank-you note to show appreciation for being included in the trip. Here are a few different thank-you ideas for a variety of situations:

A developing relationship

It’s best to send a warm yet formal note to people you're building a relationship with, such as new in-laws or co-workers. Begin by mentioning how much you appreciate having been included in their special trip, as well as your enthusiasm in getting to know them better. It's also a good idea to include specific details about what you enjoyed about the vacation. Be sure to restate your gratitude in the closing lines.

Example:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

Thank you very much for including me in your trip to Keystone. It was wonderful having the opportunity to get to know each other better. I know Mr. Smith and I will be rooting for the Yankees together come springtime!

I'd also like to mention how you couldn’t have picked a better condo rental – how amazing was the living room fireplace? I loved sitting by the fire with my mug of hot chocolate each night after dinner.

Again, thank you very much. John and I are looking forward to creating many more memories with you both.

Sincerely,

Jane

Family members

You can be a little less formal in a thank-you to your own family members. Focus on your appreciation for the opportunity to strengthen familial bonds.

Example:

Dear Aunt Kate,

Thank you for having Tom, the kids, and myself at your Lakeview condo. It was so nice bringing the family together at such a beautiful location. I know the children will cherish the memories we created. Cindy is already asking when we can return so she can build more sand castles with you!

Thank you again for having us. I look forward to planning more get-togethers in the near future.

Love,

Sara

Friends

Again, you can be less formal in a note to a close friend. It's always nice to emphasize your gratitude for everyone coming together despite obstacles like busy schedules and different locations.

Example:

Dear Joe,

Thank you for organizing the weekend getaway at your Poconos cabin. What a great idea to get the gang together for skiing, sledding, and wine-tasting! It’s so great that everyone was excited to take time out to get together and hang out, just like the old days.

Thanks again for bringing us all together again. It would be amazing if we could make this an annual event.

All the Best,

Sam

The recipient will appreciate the time you took to write a personal note. Who knows—it may even guarantee another invite!

Dana is a contributing writer for Flipkey.com.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Boles de Picolat and the Languedoc-Roussillon

Posted: 19 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

When you hear the words. “South of France,” the first images that usually come to mind are those of the Mediterranean coast – beautiful, to be sure – but not even close to representing the entirety of the southernmost border of this country. The Languedoc-Roussillon – closer to Barcelona than to Italy – is often neglected. What awaits here, however, is a land of mystery, open to exploration.

The Languedoc-Roussillon is home to the ruins of several old Cathar châteaux, the last remaining evidence of a border between France and Occitania. The Cathars – a peaceful Christian population – were able to hide out in these châteaux, guarded by certain Catholics against the Inquisition and its accusations of heresy.

While the Cathars didn’t survive in this region, the châteaux that kept them in safety did, and many are open to the public. Ranging from Aguilar and Montségur, today merely a suggestion of the mighty châteaux that once stood atop these hills, to Quéribus and Peyrepertuse, offering a more concrete vision of the people that lived within these stone fortresses, the Cathar châteaux should be visited by all enchanted by this beautiful region.

The châteaux were built atop hills, to better their defensive value, which means that today’s explorers must climb to reach them. What better way to recuperate one’s strength upon coming back down than with a regional delicacy? Boles de picolat are Catalan-style meatballs, and while they can be made at home with a combination of pork, beef and spices, they are stewed for a long time, a preparation that can take away from your precious exploration time. Instead, let the professionals take care of the meatballs themselves — Francois Esquines sells a great jarred version — and use the prepared meatballs to develop the rest of this peasant dish in under an hour.

Boles de Picolat
1 800 g. jar of prepared Boles de Picolat (Note: If you’d like to try your hand at preparing these yourself, use ground pork and beef, grated onion and garlic to make meatballs, frying them up in peanut oil and then stewing them in a sauce of tomatoes, white wine, whole black olives, salt and pepper).
1 800 g. can of white beans, drained
10-15 black olives
1 cup water

Stew the prepared Boles de Picolat, white beans, olives and water in a covered heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally and cook for an hour, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans and meatballs from sticking to the pan. Serve with local red wine and lots of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Emily Monaco is native New Yorker, living and writing in Paris since 2007. She loves discovering new places and, of course, their local cuisines! Read about her adventures in food and travel at tomatokumato.com or follow her on Twitter at @emiglia

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

How to Plan a Romantic Vacation

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:34 PM PDT

by Mary White

Romantic Dinner for Two A nice stay on the beach, candlelit dinners in the mountains, or breakfast cooked by someone else… Sound like an adventure or the second honeymoon you’ve always wanted? Romantic getaways are always a goal for couples, but the planning is often what keeps them from taking this much needed trip. Whether they don’t know where to begin, can’t pull themselves away from a busy schedule, or simply aren’t able to find a destination they agree upon, couples often hesitate when attempting to plan their getaway. But by answering just a few questions, you and your significant other can be on your way to an easily planned and organized vacation that you’ll both enjoy.

The first hiccup in planning to overcome is to decide upon a destination. Do you have activities in mind? Will food play a role in your trip’s location? Sit down with your beloved and agree upon a travel spot you both can enjoy. A compromise may be necessary here such as choosing a halfway point or shared spot of interest. (And, if you truly can’t agree, take turns – whoever folds gets to pick the next trip!)

The most important part of planning a long weekend is choosing where to stay. Because this is a romantic getaway and not just your run-of-the-mill family vacation, consideration to your romantic accommodations should be made. Just because you’ve chosen a charming town doesn’t mean your place of rest will be charming, private and comfortable. Research is an essential part to planning a successful and relaxing trip and, luckily, this special place might only be a few clicks away. There are many directories online for vacation home rentals and bed and breakfasts, which include romantic rooms, suites, cottages, and even private homes. Reviews are also posted that offer first-hand accounts of others’ stays in your chosen lodging.

Finally, you’ll want to plan activities for you and your sweetie. Perhaps you’re outdoors types who enjoy hiking and having an afternoon picnic. Or maybe your planned getaway is simply to, well, get away. Pack along some of your favorite movies and a bottle of champagne to help celebrate a relaxing weekend. Whatever your style, make sure the weekend is one that you and your loved one will be able to enjoy together.

The next time you think about taking a romantic vacation, don’t let the hassles or stress of planning get in the way of what should be an intimate holiday. Rather, do some simple research and then enjoy each other's company.

Mary White is the Founder of BnBFinder.com, a leading bed & breakfast listing site and author of Running a Bed & Breakfast For Dummies. Find more bed & breakfast stories at http://www.bnbfinder.com/blog/ or follow BnBFinder on Twitter @BnBFinder.

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Deals of the Week: Tour of Spain

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 06:50 AM PDT

To many, Spain is the land of bull fights and flamenco. While these are definitely two major staples of Spanish culture, the country has so much more to offer. There’s the reveling nightlife in Madrid, majestic mountain hiking in Asturias, and the beautiful Mediterranean beaches of Barcelona and Valencia. Each region has a distinct and alluring culture to explore. Here are some great deals to help you do that!

Stay 7 Nights Get 3 Free !	25% off and Spanish Rioja Wines!
Located in Granada’s countryside, Villa Trastamara is surrounded by luscious olive groves. The local mountains are ideal for hiking and exploring while the private pool and barbecue are perfect for a relaxing outdoor meal.	This Costa Del Sol Condo boasts stunning views of the Mediterranean and access to beautiful local beaches. The nearby chiringuito beach bars served delicious fresh seafood. Day trips to Gibraltar and Malaga are a must.
25% off from November to February!	Stay 3 Nights Get 1 free !
This 200 year old traditional Mallorcan house offers wonderful mountain views from the stone paved terrace. Located in the Deia village there many incredible restaurants and tapas bars to survey after a day at the beach.	Masia Cal Pau Cruset is planted within a Catalonian vineyard and garden filled with almond and olive trees. A swimming pool and wellness center help you relax, and a chilled bottle of cava will be waiting upon your arrival!

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Add a Little “Offbeat” to Your Next Family Vacation

Posted: 14 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

by Traci Suppa

I'm one of those parents who thought Clark Griswold had the right idea for a family vacation. Drive cross-country with every expectation of adventure, and the willingness to drive four hours off course to see the world's second largest ball of twine.

Sure, I want my daughter to experience her princess character breakfast at Walt Disney World. I hope to bring my son to the towns of Italy where his great-grandparents lived. But I also want them with me when I finally get the see that ball of twine. For the record, the world's largest ball of twine is in Cawker, KS. There's also one in Darwin, MN with the equally-impressive title of world’s largest twine ball rolled by one man.

Our Christmas Cards Last Year Looked Like This

"World's largest" attractions are always on our "to-see" list, and my kids have become accustomed to standing in front of oversized bowling pins/garden gnomes/globes/boots while smiling for the camera. I highly recommend seeking out a quirky roadside attraction during your next trip. The resulting photos – so fun, so clever – may just appear on the cover of your next Christmas card. You can utilize RoadsideAmerica.com to find sites across the U.S.

This museum was an unexpected treat

The thrill of reaching these sites can be short-lived, so we try to find attractions with a little more to offer. The world's largest bowling pin, for example, sits in front of Splitsville Luxury Lanes in Tampa, FL. We enjoyed a fun family evening of bowling and a lane-side dinner. After we gawked at the immensity of the world's largest rotating globe in Yarmouth, ME, we headed ten minutes north to shop the outlets in Freeport. After my kids climbed through the world's largest kid – "Eddie," the 45-foot exhibit inside the EdVenture children's museum of Columbia, SC – we spent several more hours enjoying the facility.

Should you prefer more educational vacation experiences, well, I'm there with you. Travel is the best education. But as I can attest from my own childhood being dragged through archaeological ruins the world over, you have to make the experience accessible in order for it to be remembered. Part of the reason we went to see the world’s largest light bulb in Edison, NJ was the opportunity to visit the adjoining museum in the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park.

We spent an hour poring over exhibits of early light bulbs and other inventions with a helpful tour guide, who even let us listen one of Edison's original phonographs. The bonus was posing my son under the 14-foot light bulb, which sits on top of the 117-foot Memorial Tower. I love that it looks like he's just had a bright idea!

A-HA!

It's a precarious balance; giving kids the trips they want, while still getting to see what you want. Success is when your itinerary entertains everyone!

Traci L. Suppa drags her small-town family to see a quirky array of the world's largest, longest, or tallest things, and blogs about it at Go BIG or Go Home.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

The Perks of Professional Property Managers

Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

by Julie Byrd

There’s some chance that if you go at it alone when you’re booking a vacation property you might hit the jackpot—great space, easy setup with the owners, smooth payment process, and dream getaway. But when those things don’t work out—the property is not as it's advertised, the owners don't answer emails, your security deposit disappears into the ether—it can be a nightmare.

Going through rental professionals secures your vacation peace of mind on multiple levels you might not consider them when you’re planning your trip, but that prove to be essential when you’ve arrived (and the keys don’t fit the door). Rental professionals provide pre-trip planning, flexibility in site selection, a wealth of information on the best activities and most interesting things to see while you’re vacationing, and the assistance to prevent (or fix) trip disasters in the making.

Let’s look at the ways rental professionals help your trip be your dream holiday:

Diversity of properties

Need a secluded romantic getaway for just you two? Have to have a separate casita for the kids? Can’t relax unless there’s a pool table in the game room? Agencies have listings galore and they know their details down to how many spoons are in the silverware drawer. Ask and you shall receive.

Your Best Interests Served

Agency pros truly want you to be happy with your holiday. Booking agents will have real conversations with you about what you are looking for on your trip, and suggest options that you might never consider. You select the property that best reflects YOUR interests, and all of your choices will be paramount.

Customer Service

If the gardeners are normally scheduled to come to your villa on Sunday morning, but you love to sleep late, no problem. We’ll make an adjustment for you. Did you forget to tell us that you had to do some emergency gift shopping the day you arrive? No trouble: give us a call from your property, and we’ll hook you up. The lines are open.

Payment Options (and Extra Costs Banished)

You’ll have the opportunity to set up a payment schedule that fits your pocket. And you’ll never see hidden charges pop up–we spell all the figures out in advance of your trip.

Relocation Potential

Should the property be not what’s advertised, or should some integral property facility fail while you’re there, we’ll quickly assess the situation and whisk you away to an equally nice venue if necessary.

Flexibility

If something comes up and you can’t make your trip, we’ll do everything we can to reschedule the excursion for the time that’s right for you.

Travel Insurance and Legal issues

We will set you up with a travel insurance plan that will cover any needed contingencies, and take all the worries away regarding unforeseen incidents. We also provide you with information on legal matters (and customs) common to the country you’re visiting.

Area Experts

Yes, you can look at some travel guide and get the usual “You must visit this hopping bar,” or “This restaurant’s not to be missed.” But those are so often the canned “best-of” entries you see in every guidebook. Our agents have been to the properties, spent time in the surrounding cities, know EXACTLY which restaurant or bar has the best appetizers. (Hey, it’s a hard job, but …) We can tell you, from experience, not only what’s the best, but what’s the most interesting, out of the way, odd or unusual. You won’t get that out of a book.

Sure, you could always go commando in booking your own rentals, but why go through the bother and still have to face so many unknowns? Stack the deck in your favor: roll with the pros, settle back in your hammock and relax. It’s a sure thing.

Julie Byrd is the director of sales at Earth, Sea, and Sky Vacations, ranked the #1 villa rental agent in Mexico by Conde Nast Traveler.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Arthur Avenue and Struffoli

Posted: 12 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

I wasn’t raised in a particularly Italian household, as far as New York-based Italian-American families go. There were no heavy Sopranos-esque accents, no Sunday dinners that started at noon, no nonna with an apron wielding a spaghetti spoon. My father is of Italian-American origin, and while we were raised on my German-Irish mother’s incredible renditions of lasagna, I don’t identify that closely with those who spent weekends in September canning tomato sauce with aunts and cousins.

The first time I ventured onto Arthur Avenue was almost accidental: I accompanied a friend – an Italophile so American he could trace his ancestry to the Mayflower – to the covered market so that he could pick up what he claimed was the best prosciutto in the city. Until this point, I had never strongly identified with my Italian background; trips to Rome and Florence, while beautiful, never gave me the strange feeling of “coming home” that walking into the boisterous market and pushing our way back to Mike’s Deli did. The smells and sounds seemed to come from a different part of my childhood, a piece I didn’t remember clearly, but a piece that existed all the same.

My pure-blooded Italian-American father had spent so much time and effort to be in Manhattan that he never thought the next generation would demand what he had left behind, but demand I did. I started spending hours wandering around the Bronx, listening in on conversations between old men in café chairs, selecting the best of meats and cheeses from Mike’s, and wondering what it would have been like to have been raised here instead of on the Upper East Side. My father wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but he was nothing less than pleased when, one Christmas, alongside traditional pies and cakes, I presented a dish of traditional struffoli.

I had never tried the honey-drowned cookies before, merely admired them in the windows of bakeries on Arthur Avenue as November turned to December, but one taste, and my father was propelled back in time, to the childhood that I didn’t have. He remembers his sisters’ struffoli, covered in tiny rainbow sprinkles. He remembers the boisterous accents, the long Sunday afternoons spent with cousins, aunts and uncles. As for me… I just remember Arthur Avenue.

Struffoli
2 – 2/12 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
Vegetable oil for frying
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup honey
1/3 cup nonpareil rainbow sprinkles

Sift together 2 cups flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center.

Whisk eggs together with lemon zest and pour into the well. Fold the eggs into the flour mixture, then turn out onto a floured surface, adding more flour until you can just knead the dough into a ball. Cover the ball of dough with a damp kitchen towel.

Prepare a pan or plate for the finished fried dough balls, covering it with paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Wait 5-10 minutes for the oil to heat, then pinch off a tiny bit of dough. If it sizzles and slowly rises to the top of the oil, it’s hot enough.

While the oil heats, cut the dough in eighths. Roll the eighths into long ropes, about 1/2 inches thick. Cut each of the ropes into small, equal pieces and roll them into small balls, a bit larger than a grape but smaller than a golf ball.

Cook the dough in batches, making sure not to overcrowd your pan. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes, and then drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer drained struffoli into a large bowl.

While the last batch of struffoli are frying, slowly heat the honey. Pour over struffoli and toss well to coat.

To serve, grease a large serving dish with butter or cooking spray, and pile the struffoli into a Christmas tree shape. Cover with sprinkles.